What if ICANN didn't exist? I guess there could be many irregularities and domain names disputes. Domain names are too important for online businesses since no website can run without having a domain name. In fact, many people are buying domain names daily for various reasons. There are those who park domain names only to sell them at a profit. Read here whyPark review.

There is need for owning a good domain name due to online business competition. When you're registering your domain name you may be disappointed to learn that it's not available. This especially happens to dot com domain names.

But if you find that it's available, then you have to provide your personal information to the domain name registrar company accredited by ICANN for registration process to be successful.

What ICANN Is

ICANN, stands for Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers. It is an organization charged with the global responsibility of coordinating domain names as well as addresses used in internet protocols. You can read more about ICANN here.

Domain name extensions are approved by ICANN such as:

• .com for commercial business
• .org for Organizations or nonprofit
• .gov for Government agencies

ICANN committee is currently reviewing the list of domain name extensions. It has set its own time that it's bound to release them.

Approval of New Domain Names By ICANN

There are new domain names that are yet to be approved by ICANN but so far it has approved these new ones:

1. .mobi
2. .jobs
3. .cat
4. .tel
5. .travel
6. .asia

Of course, new domain name extensions will open a new wide array of domain names that will be available for registrations. Although this is good news, we should also be aware of the cyber squatters who register domain names with the hope of selling them at a higher price. However, ICANN has established Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution (UDRP) to deal with domain name cases.

It's wise to be on the alert and wait for ICANN official announcement of new domain name extensions through their official website so that you'll be able to grab your choice as soon as it's released.

On the other hand if you can't be that patient to wait for new domain name extension to be released by ICANN and would want to register your domain name as soon as possible, then you can check its availability using the domain name search tool.

Just in case your first choice is taken; you can try to be a little bit creative by using hyphens or common misspellings. That way the name you want would still be included in the domain name you buy.

If you have been searching for some time and can't get the domain name you want with a .com, .biz, .net, .info, etc you can try back ordering it through a reputable domain name seller.

Role of ICANN

ICANN performs the following roles:

• It is solely responsible for controlling internet protocol addresses

• ICANN accredits domain name registrars

• It promotes fair internet competition

• It ensures that all domain name registrars adhere to Whois rules. Contact details of people who register domain names must be included in Whois

• ICANN has established URDP to address domain name disputes